Heraldry, from War to Peace
Heraldry is an art as well as a science and this is partly the reason that it has survived from the Middle Ages when the use of body armor to which it owed its origin began to decline The other factor in keeping Heraldry alive has been its significance in identifying one’s class. Because only the richest and most powerful persons used arms it soon became the mark of the “best people” and so Coats of Arms acquired a significance far beyond their merely utilitarian use in war as ensigns. The beauty of the form and the colors used in Heraldry attracts many who have no knowledge of the subject. Very early on, , the use of shields, crests and...